About us
The Pine Barrens Institute is an online cryptozoological, Midwest folklore, and historic newspaper reference site which is based out of Janesville, Wisconsin. The focus of the site is to document, catalog, and help spread factual information pertaining to the folklore, legends, and “true” stories involving both well-known and lesser-known cryptid creatures, obscure boogeymen, and unique mysteries found throughout the Midwest.
We are dedicated to being a trustworthy source of information void of any spin or agenda. We simply find the stories, present them to the reader, and allow them to decide whether they believe them or not.
history
The PBI was created by Adam Benedict in December of 2015 after spending countless years reading, watching, and learning everything he could about the fascinating worlds of Cryptozoology and Wisconsin folklore.
Originally started as a personal blog, the PBI has grown into a fully functioning website which has attracted the interest of thousands of visitors from around the world and has been recognized by some of the top names in the Fortean field.
name
The first part of our name - The Pine Barrens - was chosen as a two-fold reason. The first fold reason was as an homage to one of the most recognized creatures within the realm of both cryptozoology and folklore, the Jersey Devil. A historical creature whom is said to reside within the famous Pine Barrens located within New Jersey. Much like those who have gathered on countless occasions within the Pine Barrens themselves in order to search for proof of the Jersey Devil’s existence, the PBI prides itself in being a gathering point online for those in search of other “monsters” and legends.
The second fold reason was that, unknown to many, pine barrens do in fact occur outside of the Devil’s stomping ground, and they make up a decent part of the ecological landscape of the Badger State. These areas of pine forest occurs on landforms that include outwash plains, glacial lake plains, and broad sandy terraces that flank some of the major rivers in southern Wisconsin. The soil in these locations are most often dry and sandy, and the typography of the area is typically flat, but can have some slight rolling. Outside of the pine itself, these areas are home to many other rare native plants and wildlife unique to the state.
The second part of our name - Institute - was chosen based on the official definition of the word itself. The definition is as follows: Institute: noun - a society or organization having a particular objective or common factor, especially a scientific, educational, or social one. A body of people with a particular purpose.
Because of our desire (and purpose) to spread true information behind famous creatures, as well as document the official legends and stories which made them famous in the first place, we felt this word was fitting and is a vital part in our namesake.
*Note: The Pine Barrens Institute is not a school nor does it falsely represent itself as one.
logos
Since its creation, The PBI has designed and used a variety of logos to both represent itself online and in the real world. Below are some examples of the unique imagery The PBI has used in its lifetime thus far.
recordings
Our recordings, known as ‘Cryptids & Conversations’, were created in 2018 as a way to further expand the reach of The PBI. The recordings are done in an interview/conversation format and each episode has one specific guest. The guests featured are those who have some sort of prominent hand in the Fortean world and who we feel have made an impact on this community as a whole.
Currently, our main artwork for the recordings features a Hodag interviewing The Wisconsin Man-Bat. This artwork was created exclusively by artist Will Barnes for use by The PBI.
‘Cryptids & Conversations’ can be found on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Podbean. They can also be found under the ‘Recordings’ link at the top of the page.
contact info
The Pine Barrens Institute is always available to talk with anyone and everyone who has an interest in the unknown. If you have a media outlet (podcast, show, website, etc.) that you would like the PBI to make an appearance on, or just have questions you would like to ask and possibly have answered, please get in touch with us at pinebarrensinstitute@gmail.com.
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